It was one of those challenges where everything went wrong, but still tasted fine in the end. I had dealt much with meringues or mousses much before this challenge so it was a great learning experience.

Here is a link to the PDF of the Daring Baker’s June challenge. I would post it here, but it’s too long this post and I am truly unmotivated to format it to my specifications.

I ended up using Nigella’s recipe for her Chocolate Raspberry Pavlova because I was keen to discover how the balsamic vinegar affected the meringue. (It was amazing - FYI).

Besides spreading out a bit too much whilst pouring onto the baking sheet, I have to say, this meringue made me change my mind about this style of dessert. Double yum. I now know what to do with my whites from making ice cream.

Unfortuantly, I began to run into some when I began making the chocolate mousse. We had invited our friends over to enjoy the dessert with us. It was at this point when I began to feel a bit rush and I don’t think I looked closely enough at the directions. In the ingredients it says to use 1-1/2 cups cream, but it doesn’t specify separated. The first instruction was to heat the cream (but only 1/2 cup). Obviously, after realizing this (but not until I attempted to whip it together) I discovered that it was a lost cause.

Furthermore, I ran into a problem when I realized (1) I didn’t have enough time to make mascarpone from scratch nor (2) could I find it at Woodman’s (a major fail on their part). I sent Robb out in the downpour to find me some mascarpone, but because it cost so much at the Co-op, I only had half the amount the recipe called for. I should have just halved the Mascarpone Cream, but by this point I had already made the full Crème Anglaise.

As you can see, it went from good to bad in a matter of one hour. Thankfully, Eric and Ruthie came over shortly after the catastrophe and soothed my nerves by complementing the finished product. We all agreed that the mousse-turned-ganache would make an excellent ice cream. I think Robb must have secretly planned this because several days prior, he had gifted me a brand new ice cream maker for my birthday. What a guy.

The next day we had plans to play games with some friends so I quickly churned the leftover “mousse” and cream. The leftover meringue was crumbled on top… And once again I received rave reviews from my connoisseurs.

The moral of this story is: when faced with a custard-based disaster … turn it into ice cream.

It must be spring in Madison as we have a continual 40 — 90% chance of rain every day. Thankfully, the sun was out (abet, setting) for my walk from work to State Street where I met up with Sean and Robb. We enjoyed a Nepali dinner [Chautara] and took a stroll along Lake Mendota aid in digestion. After coming home, I started working on a rendition of Sean’s favourite ice cream from Molly Moon’s Handmade Ice Cream: salted butter caramel ice cream. [Yummmm].

While, I don’t have photographs of both recipes, I wanted to share with you our favourite ways to prepare a chicken.

Roast Chicken: Two Ways

Split, Broiled Chicken
Adapted from Joy of Cooking

A quick way to a juicy, flavorful chicken is by cutting the bird in half, removing the backbone and broiling the bird.

Ingredients

1 3-1/2 pound chicken
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 — 4 (we like a lot) garlic cloves, minced
2 — 3 teaspoons rosemary, crumbled
juice from 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat the broiler. Move the rack to the center of the oven, at least so the top of the chicken will be 8 inches beneath the broiler. Prepare a broiling sheet with some heavy duty aluminum foil (to make clean up a bit easier for yourself).

Brush (or get messy and use your hands) the butter over the bird. Also, rub in the garlic and rosemary. Sprinkle with the lemon juice. Finish with salt and pepper. Place the bird skin side down on your prepared pan.

Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for ~15 minutes. Very, very carefully, flip the bird over so it is skin side up. Cook until the thigh registers 170ºF. If the bird begins to burn, you can tent it with foil until it is finished cooking. Remove from the oven and allow to rest under tented foil for 10 — 15 minutes.

The Perfect Roasted Chicken

When we have an extra hour, we like to roast the chicken whole, kind of like our turkey recipe.

Ingredients

1 roasting chicken (4-6 lbs), giblets removed, rinse and pat dry
2 tablespoons softened butter
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 small yellow onion
1 small lemon
1 small carrot, cut into 2” pieces
1 small rib celery, cut into 2” pieces
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary or thyme (you can substitute 2 tsp dried)

Method

Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Rub the outside of the chicken with the butter and season the inside and out with salt, pepper and juice of the lemon. Tuck the vegetables and lemon inside the cavity. Tie up the legs to prevent the stuffings from coming out.

Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and rest on its side. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Turn the bird onto its other side and roast for an additional 25-30 minutes. Finally, flip the bird onto its back and roast for a remaining 35-45 minutes or until the the thigh registers 170ºF. The total cooking time will be between 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours.

Let the bird rest, covering with aluminum, for 10-15 minutes before carving.

Easy as cake chicken stock

What I love about this method is that you can prepare your stock while you are sleeping. Well, almost. It’s wonderful because it uses the crockpot. I discovered this after Thanksgiving last year and I haven’t looked back since.

Ingredients

1 small to medium carcass of a chicken (typically from a 4 lb bird) — either fresh or frozen (I sometimes freeze 1 or 2 if I don’t have time to prepare the stock)
2–3 small carrots, trimmed, washed and cut into 2” pieces
2-3 small ribs celery, trimmed, washed and cut into 2” pieces
1 medium onion, skin removed and cut into fourths
Water, just boiled on the kettle

Makes 5-6 cups

Method

Plug in your slow cooker and place all ingredients into the bowl (excluding the water).

Pour hot water over the bones and mirepoix (carrots, celery and onion). I use boiled water because it requires a shorter amount of time to heat up in the slow cooker.

Turn the slow cooker on “High” until your water begins to boil again. (If you are using frozen carcasses, it will take a bit longer to heat). Turn the slow cooker to “Low” and let cook either overnight or while you are at work (about 8 — 9 hours).

When you wake up or return from work turn off the slow cooker and remove the lid to let the excess steam escape while you putter around making dinner or breakfast. When the slow cooker is cool enough to handle (30 minutes or so; but I have heat resistant hands) place a sieve over a large bowl or pot (preferably not plastic) and drain stock into the bowl. Toss the mirepoix and chicken bones in the garbage. Allow the hot stock to cool on the counter top before covering and transferring to the fridge.

Let the stock cool in the fridge either overnight or while you are at work (about 8 hours) to let the fat solidify. (It doesn’t actually require 8 hours, but it fits my schedule better). Using a fine mesh sieve transfer the stock into quart sized freezer bags. (The sieve should prevent the solidified fat from entering the bag. If this doesn’t work for you, you might try using a coffee filter apparatus.) Label your bags and lay them in the freezer. When they have frozen you can stack them vertically.

And store:

Anyway. It has been several years since my love affair with bread and Amélie began. I am now moving onto trying some new techniques. Well, new for me. Sourdough bread baking (or at least using a natural starter) has been around since the Egyptian times in 1500 BC. Using a starter of naturally occurring bacteria gives breads regional distinction. [Of course we all know about the famous San Francisco sourdough breads (yum!)] After several failed attempts when we first moved to Madison (the bread just never rose) I put the project on hiatus. Thankfully, Clotilde*, of Chocolate and Zucchini, has been writing several posts about sourdough bread products and her little starter named Philémon. Her triumphs in the kitchen inspired me to resume our little fermentation project. Afterall, we should be good at this since Robb has been brewing beer with Eric, of late… and I am getting my Masters in Cheese. One of the easiest and sure-fire ways to have a happy, healthy stater is to procre some from a friend or a bakery. Since the Madison Sourdough Company seems to have their starter on lockdown [aside: they have the most amazing croissants!], I looked elsewhere. After some perusing on the internets, I discovered a nonprofit organization whose entire business is giving away a starter that has a very long history.

For the price of a stamp, Carl Griffith’s Oregon Trail will mail you a 150+-year-old sourdough starter culture that was brought west by a pioneer ancestor:

All I know is that it started west in 1847 from Missouri. I would guess with the family of Dr. John Savage as one of his daughters (my great grandmother) was the cook. It came on west and settled near Salem Or. Doc. Savage’s daughter met and married my great grand father on the trail and they had 10 children. It was passed on to me though my parents when they passed away. I am 76 years old so that was some time ago. I first learned to use the starter in a basque sheep camp when I was 10 years old as we were setting up a homestead on the Steens Mountains in southeastern Oregon. A campfire has no oven, so the bread was baked in a Dutch Oven in a hole in the ground in which we had built a fire, placed the oven, scraped in the coals from around the rim, and covered with dirt for several hours. I used it later making bread in a chuck wagon on several cattle drives - again in southeastern Oregon.

(via BoingBoing)

I sent away for my starter several weeks ago and it arrived just before my birthday (what a great little gift!) Following the set of instructions, I revived my little zombies (see Alton Brown) and now they are happily procreating in my fridge in a little applesauce jar. Here is a photo-log of their revival.

Meet Nino, the starter:

Nino, the starter, in its hibernating (aka-dried) state and its awaiting bowl.

Dissolving Nino, the starter, in 3/4 cup 90ºF water. (This took a bit of time…)

Preparing the ingredients for Nino’s first feeding: 3/4 cup bread flour and 1 tsp. sugar.

Mixing…

Ah, finished mixing. (It’s OK if there are a few lumps.)

An oven with the pilot light on is supposed to be a good incubating space, but my oven doesn’t have that luxury. Instead, our spare room and a desk lamp proved a suitable spot for it. I let Nino ferment for ~48 hours. The room smelled delightful!

Post-fermentation. Look at all that alcohol on the surface. Stir it back in a feed Nino again.

Getting Nino ready for its transition into the fridge.

It now lives in my fridge and I’ve made one loaf using the directions for the Alaskan sourdough bread which can be found here. But, as tasty as it was, it was not sour enough for Robb or myself. This weekend, I am planning to start another batch but this time using the recipe from the King Arthur Flour Blog for Extra-Tangy Sourdough Bread. I love that the basis for the lack-of-sourness goes back to simple microbiology:

What makes the sour in sourdough bread? It’s a combination of lactic and acetic acids, created as the dough rises and ferments. Refrigerating the dough encourages the production of more acetic than lactic acid; and acetic acid is much the tangier of the two. Thus, sourdough that’s refrigerated before baking will have a more assertive sour flavor.

(Via King Arthur Flour)

It looks like our dough will be spending more time in the fridge than on the counter. Hopefully this loaf is more to our tasetbuds’ liking. Otherwise, our freezer won’t be able to hold much more bread!! (Or we will be having a French toast party pretty soon…)

Ah, and if you are in the market for your own, already thriving starter… let me know! If you live in the Madison-area I would be more than happy to give you some of Nino’s offspring.

I suppose while the yeast is doing its work, I will go skip stones like Amélie…

* Did I tell you that I once saw her at a book signing in Seattle? That is me in the maroon shirt… har har.

Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

I was so excited about this challenge. Robb and I (both born in California) grew up with an unquenchable hunger for really, really good Mexican food. For instance, when we went to visit Robb’s family in San Clemente, we went to his parents’ favourite hole in the wall, Lucy’s, where we had the most amazing wet burrito –- ever. (We seriously still dream about it). Recently, some friends refered us to another hole in the wall here in Madison: Taqueria Guadalajara Mexicana. Also, delicious. Moving on.

I intended to get this done much earlier, yet with exams, papers due, presentations and finals (that was all for one class and happened within the last three weeks of school) I hardly got around to doing laundry. (In fact, Robb did a months worth of laundry yesterday!) But now that the hardest semester is over, I was able to spend all of yesterday afternoon in the kitchen making the most delicious meal. I am happy to report that Robb and I will probably have this again, soon. And that I am now going to invest in a real tortilla press (smashing with a cast iron pan was too much of a workout and gave inconsistent results…). Anyway. hope you are also inspired to follow suit!

Stacked green chile and grilled chicken enchiladas

Ingredients

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely. Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)
7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium) 212 grams - peel, remove stems
4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)
1 clove Garlic, minced
2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)
¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)
2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)
Hot sauce, your favorite, optional
2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)
3 tablespoons olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)
Kosher salt and pepper
12 small corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)
6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams
Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Coat each chile with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster.
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. Do not rinse!

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

Corn Tortillas (from Rick Bayless’s Mexican Kitchen)
Makes about 15

1 3/4 cups masa harina
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water

Pour hot water over masa harina, cover and let sit 30 minutes. Add (additional) cool water 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough is soft but not sticky. Divide the dough into 15 balls and cover with plastic wrap.

Heat a large (two burner) ungreased griddle or two large skillets, one on medium-low and one on medium-high.

Put a ball of dough between two sheets of plastic. If you don’t have a tortilla press, press to a 5-6” circle using a heavy frying pan or bread board or other heavy, flat object. Put the tortilla into the cooler pan or cooler end of the griddle. The tortilla will probably stick, but within 15 seconds, if the temperature is correct, it will release. Flip it at that point onto the hotter skillet/griddle section. In 30-45 seconds, it should be dotted with brown underneath. Flip it over, still on the hot surface and brown another 30 seconds or so. A good tortilla will balloon up at this point. Remove from heat and let them rest while cooking the remaining tortillas. Use quickly.

Ah, but what are ramps? If you don’t know of Allium tricoccum already, you are missing out. These beauties are typically found east of Minnesota in the spring time. Not until we moved to Wisconsin did we discover what all the fuss was about. As a member of the onion family, they are known under several different names including ramps, spring onion, ramson, wild leek, or ail des bois (French). Eaten raw, they have the flavor of onions and garlic. Upon gentle cooking (like sautéing or blanching) they develop a more mild and sweeter flavor. So, in early spring, check out your farmer’s market and see if you can score some ramps! Otherwise, you can use green (or spring) garlic which is baby garlic which has been harvested before the bulbs mature. They look a bit like scallions and are more prominent throughout the States in the spring time. You can use them in place ramps in pretty much every recipe.

Last night, after a long, long run (we didn’t get home until 9:30!) we quickly threw together the ramp and parsley pesto that we had been dreaming about all afternoon…

We served it on top of some garlic and basil pasta from Trader Joe’s. Now, that hit the spot.

And finally, we sauteed some of the asparagus we bought earlier yesterday, too. I do not think I have ever enjoyed fresher, more tender asparagus in my life. Yum!

Wondering what to do with the leftover pesto and white tips of the ramps? Try this.

Well, this challenge combined the two things I detest most in the food world: pudding and raisins. I was most inclined to make the pudding that everyone giggles about: Spotted Dick. [heehee] Moving on. If you know me at all, you know that I wont put a raisin (sulphured or unsulphured) or any type of pudding-like material (Jell-O, tapioca, custard, crème brulée, meringue, etc.) near my mouth. Well, last night I found an exception: British puddings. Why, you might ask? Because they have the consistency of … scones!! Yum! If you are not familiar with the traditional British pudding, it is typically a steamed dessert or savory dish. Many of the savory dishes are enveloped in a suet-based pastry (commonly served at Christmastime). For this challenge, I had intended to visit my local butcher, but with biophysicalchemistry taking up my life (yes, that is the course I am currently taking) I ran out of time. Never fear, in the coming months, I hope to post one made with recently procured suet.

That brings us to today’s post: Spotted Dick. [heehee] I followed the recipe on Epicurious which used butter as its fat. I especially enjoyed the little video clip of techniques for making the dessert. For my first pudding, I should have to say it was a success. I discovered that I don’t like American puddings. But the Brits got this one right! I think, though, next time I make this I will use currents rather than raisins. I wonder, though, how cranberries would taste… Give it a Wisconsin flare.

Enjoy the photos. (Robb and I enjoyed the puddings).

I encourage you to watch (if you haven’t already) Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. He has already been making strides in his homeland: England. But he is hoping to share with our great nation what he’s learned over the years and trying to inspire us to have a more active role what happens in our schools and communities as far as our food choices and knowledge go.

Please consider how your decisions affect not only your health and family but the nation as a whole. If we join together, our voices will be strong and they will be heard. Also, consider signing Jamie’s petition:

Sign Jamie’s petition to save cooking skills and improve school food.

I support the Food Revolution. America’s kids need better food at school and better health prospects. We need to keep cooking skills alive.

He is risen, indeed!